Building a sense of community

The desire to create a cohesive South African expatriate community prompted Capetonian Andrew Billimore to start up ZAUK, a central hub where South Africans can connect and make use of South African services and products. The South African spoke to Billimore ahead of the launch of the company’s website

Have you always had an entrepre- neurial spirit? Yes. I worked in the financial sector, where a competitive edge is vital. My competitive edge is an out-of-the-box approach to things. More importantly, I am able to recognise opportunities and act on them. This has enabled me to own a surfing brand in South Africa and make my own surfing products in the past.

Tell me about your business. What is your role? ZAUK is a collaborative hub bringing together South African residents in the UK and companies offering services, products and information to expats in the UK. It is a place where South Africans can meet, chat, make friends, socialise, buy their favourite South African goodies and attend ZAUK and other functions, all in one convenient place. As the Chief Expat Officer, I ensure that the visions and strategies we have are rolled out effectively. We have a team of key individuals with specific skills in key areas of the business who are strategic to success of ZAUK. I lead that team.

What prompted you to start up ZAUK? According to your newspaper, there are over 500 000 South Africans in London alone. However the South African expat community is very fragmented. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers; the more members ZAUK has, the more negotiating leverage it gets, which in turn results in fantastic offerings to our members. There is a win-win outcome for both ZAUK members and companies wanting to do business with, or provide services or products to, South Africans. Companies will be able to have greater market penetration, increase sales and, at the same time, reduce advertising and marketing costs by using a single portal with the largest number of potential customers. Members will have the convenience of not having to shop around. Our USP is a one-stop shop, encompassing all that other websites offer while providing companies direct access to their target market.

What will people who join the ZAUK hub gain from it? Everything! They will get their home comforts here in the UK, socialise with fellow Saffas, find information and keep in touch with friends and family in South Africa and the UK. We plan to hold different events – a summer ball, children’s Christmas party, golf days, braais, monthly meetings at different pubs or anything else our members suggest. The idea is that ZAUK is driven by its members. We would be happy to listen to any ideas and put them into practice.

What has the response to your initiative been like so far? Awesome. The response has convinced us that there is a real need for ZAUK. The official launch of ZAUK is on 22 September and already there is a steady number of people registering on the website daily. The hits on the website are going through the roof. The number of members on the Facebook group is rising every day as is the number of friends on ZAUK Book, the Facebook of ZAUK. This is extremely promising considering this is only through of word of mouth.

What is your vision for your company? In the words of “Pinky and the Brain”, we are going to take over the world! The UK is our first hub for expat South Africans. Successes means that the domain’s already registered in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada will be developed into the same strategy as that in the UK. We plan to be recognised as the best social network for Saffas.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt about business? Persevere. Accept that you cannot be everything to everyone but make sure you surround yourself with those who can; know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can find people to help you where you fall short.

Do you feel there are more opportunities in London for people starting a business or career than there are in South Africa? No. Individuals create their own opportunities. In fact, from the perspective of starting a business, there may be even more opportunities in South Africa than the UK because the UK is that much more developed than South Africa.

Do you have any plans of returning to South Africa to continue your business there? South Africa will always be home; the UK is my adopted country. ZAUK is but an embryo and there are already plans to develop it in South Africa. Perhaps in the future I will be enjoying the summers from both the southern and northern hemispheres.

Was it difficult to establish yourself as a South African in a UK market? Not at all. Our target market is South Africans and the response from suppliers and potential business partners has been positive.

To join the ZAUK community or find out more about the initiative visit www.zauk.co.uk